A typical Pyrenean Shepherd tops out around 22.4 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 30.30 mph. Right in line with the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Pyrenean Shepherds outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 2.5 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 145 Pyrenean Shepherds, a typical Pyrenean Shepherd tops out at 22.4 mph, and half of them run faster than 23.2 mph. That makes the Pyrenean Shepherd the 89th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 1 Pyrenean Shepherd has ever broken 30 mph, and 43 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Herding breeds, the typical Pyrenean Shepherd is faster than 4 of 8. The Belgian Malinois is the quickest of the bunch at 26.9 mph, and the Miniature American Shepherd (22.4 mph) runs closest to the Pyrenean Shepherd. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 4.4 mph gap to the Belgian Malinois is about 1.49 seconds.
Smooth Sailing Captain Courageous holds the fastest consistent run by any Pyrenean Shepherd: 30.30 mph at the Birmingham Kennel Club in Alabama on November 12, 2023. That's 100 yards in 6.75 seconds.
Not really, but more are running. In 2018, 26 Pyrenean Shepherds ran Fast CAT, typically at 22.6 mph. In 2025 it was 47 dogs at 22.9 mph.
Tennessee has the most Pyrenean Shepherd runs, 512 of them, followed by Ohio, Georgia, Missouri. The fastest Pyrenean Shepherd run in Tennessee is 27.91 mph.
Any AKC-registered Pyrenean Shepherd over 12 months old can enter, and your dog runs alone down a straight 100 yards. Most dogs figure out the lure fast. Have someone your dog will run to waiting past the finish line, because a dog that stops to check on you can lose a second or two.
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Speeds from AKC Fast CAT results. Photographers: spotted your work? Tell us at [email protected] and we'll credit it or take it down.